Why are advertising strategies important?
An advertising strategy is a plan to reach and persuade a customer to buy a product or a service. The basic elements of the plan are 1) the product itself and its advantages, 2) the customer and his or her characteristics, 3) the relative advantages of alternative routes whereby the customer can be informed of the product, and 4) the optimization of resulting choices given budgetary constraints. In effect this means that aims must be clear, the environment must be understood, the means must be ranked, and choices must be made based on available resources. Effective product assessment, market definition, media analysis, and budgetary choices result in an optimum
Importance of advertising strategy
Positioning Statement
Formal advertising strategies are based on a "positioning statement," a technical term the meaning of which, simply, is what the company's product or service is, how it is differentiated from competing products and services, and by which means it will reach the customer. The positioning statement covers the first two items in the listing above.
Target Consumer
The target consumer is a complex combination of persons. First of all, it includes the person who ultimately buys the product. Next it includes those who, in certain circumstances, decide what product will be bought but do not physically buy it. Finally, it includes those who influence product purchases like children, spouse, and friends. In practice the small business owner, being close to his or her customers, probably knows exactly how to advise the advertising agency on the target consumer.
Communication Media
Once the product and its environment are understood and the target consumer has been identified, the routes of reaching the consumer must be assessed—the media of communication. Five major channels are available to the business owner:
Print—primarily newspapers (both weekly and daily) and magazines.
Audio—FM and AM radio.
Video—Promotional videos, infomercials.
World Wide Web.
Direct mail.
Outdoor advertising—Billboards, advertisements on public transportation (cabs, buses).
Each of the channels available has its advantages, disadvantages, and cost patterns. A crucial stage in developing the advertising strategy, therefore, is the fourth point made at the outset: how to choose the optimum means, given budgetary constraints, to reach the largest number of target consumers with the appropriately formulated message.
Implementation
The advertising campaign itself is distinct from the strategy, but the strategy is meant to guide implementation. Therefore across-the-board consistency is highly desirable. Copy, artwork, images, music—indeed all aspects of the campaign—should reflect the strategy throughout. This is especially important when multiple channels are used: print, television, and direct mail, for instance. To achieve a maximum coherence, many effective advertisers develop a unifying thematic expressed as an image, a slogan, or a combination which is central to all the elements that ultimately reach the consumer.
Thus to say a final word on the importance of advertising strategy there is no shortcut to advertise one’s product or service since it is going to have a long term effect on the company and its consumers alike.
What are the different types of advertising strategies?
Are you wondering what advertising strategy is appropriate for your website or products and services? You must first know what are the different types of advertising strategies you can apply and how it can help increase your traffic, web search ranking and from gaining profit.
Everyone must be aware of the acronym SEO or the phrase Search Engine Optimization? This is a great phrase to start with to recognize the importance of web advertising. Using rankings from search engines an increase in web traffic occurs. The more your website appears on the top search engine result based on keywords, the more you generate traffic to your site.
Another simple word such as internet marketing is another advertising strategy worth trying. Internet marketing includes the e-mail marketing is not used to flood your clients inbox, instead, it maintains a good relationship between you and your target clients while sending updates, promotions and for your marketing effectiveness analysis. You might also want to take note about social media marketing, since this it can generate a great audience popularity, social media such as facebook, twitter, tumblr, myspace and the like.
If you think that a picture is worth a thousand words, what more for a creative web design? Not only it communicates with your clients in terms of eye-catching designs but it defines your business whether you’re up for professionalism or not. The more interactive your web design is, the more visits your site will generate resulting to increase on your website’s traffic.
These are the only basic types of advertising strategies. There are plenty of options you can choose from to meet your advertising needs while you make ways to improve your products and services.
What are the strategies used in advertising?
Business owners need to be realistic about their advertising campaigns. Typically, of course, they'll be looking for effective, low-cost solutions, but at the same time, you can have just one or the other; you're unlikely to find a simultaneously effective and inexpensive channel for your ads.
That's why one must budget for advertising, not just play with the money you have left over. By assigning the right amount of money to the right channels, you can get the results you want, or at the least, improve the results you have, based on the data you gather along the way. Since your monthly spend will be consistent, you'll be better able to measure overall efficacy, too.
In order to maximize your advertising efforts, here are the best advertising strategies for a business to get a foothold in the market:
1. Target your audience.
It would be frustrating when that particular product or service you're dealing with does not match the needs of anyone who currently walks the Earth. Many small businesses don't run adequately targeted campaigns, despite the fact that targeting is one of online advertising's primary advantages.
Indeed, you should be able to create an accurate target customer profile based on the data you've collected. With this information in hand, and what you know about your current clientele, you can begin to target similar demographics and psychographics with your campaigns to attract more customers.
Whether you're advertising online or off, make sure your copy and imagery reflects the kind of customers you want to work with. This is key to targeting well.
2. Measure and track your advertising.
Many businesses simply have no idea whether their advertising is actually working. This simply is not the solution at all.
Online advertising platforms like Google AdWords and Facebook provide you with extensive stats related to your ads, and will help you determine what is working and what isn't. This doesn't mean that you won't need to test and experiment, as it can take time for you to create an ad that resonates with your target customers, but it does mean that you can make faster decisions about what to try next.
If you're advertising offline, and you have to set up a specific email address or phone number to gain a clearer understanding of how your leads are finding you and what's working, then that effort is worth the hassle.
3. Know when to advertise.
At first glance, advertising year-round and spreading out your budget equally month-to-month may appear to be a wise and commonsense approach. But if you think back to your business launch, odds are you did a lot of things that can't be scaled. There's no way for you to sustain a similar marketing and advertising initiative throughout the entire year.
If you sell seasonal products, you should be advertising in your highest-performing seasons. You may even want to start a little bit early and hold some of your advertising until a little after.
Holidays and Festivals tend to be high-performing seasons, depending on the type of business you're running. It may be advantageous to set aside some extra ad money for these days or other holidays.
Finally, it can also be worthwhile to keep an eye on when your competitors launch their own big promotions. If you have an advertising budget set aside, you may be able to keep pace or even outmaneuver them.
4. Brand well.
Can your customers immediately identify your ads based on your copy, color choice, imagery, logo or typeface? If that question seems absurd, just look at what the major brands and companies are doing. Many times, you can recognize their ads just from the colors they're using.
Over time, your customers will come to identify with and respond to your ad layouts. The temptation may be to change your branding every time you create a new ad, but that could be confusing and ineffective over the long haul. Your goal should be to show up in expected places, with familiar-looking ads that consistently resonate with your target customers. Brand well, and stick to your image. Build loyalty through resonance.
5. Use your resources well.
You know the importance of ranking well in search, but you may simply not have the resources and time to consistently create new, informative content for your website.
In an situation like that, your best bet is to take advantage of services like Google AdWords and Bing Ads, so you appear higher in results without having to optimize posts for your chosen keywords. If you have the budget to advertise, but not the time to create content, this is a good use of resources.
If you only have a small budget to allocate to advertising, it may not make sense to take out an expensive magazine ad. A Facebook ad campaign would be much more practical, since you can control your daily spend. Make an honest assessment of the resources available to you, and leverage them in a way that helps you grow your business.
One last word
There are plenty of opportunities to monetize through advertising. The key is in knowing who your target customers are, where they like to hang out -- and thus where to find more people like them -- and allocating your resources to those specific channels.
Top 5 effective advertising strategies
Advertising is one of the key elements to running a successful business. Finding the best advertising methods for your business requires some experimentation and may vary according to your products, services or niche. However, a few basic strategies can be applied to any market and are commonly used in multiple fields.
1. Effective Headlines
Your headline is your initial contact with consumer audiences. It is crucial that you capture attention with an intriguing title. In fact, your headline is about 70 percent liable for the effectiveness of your advertisement, according to the Professional Advertising website. The headline must create an emotional response that encourages potential customers to continue to the ad content. For example, if you're selling wrinkle cream, "Get Rid of Wrinkles" is a good headline with a call to action and an ultimate benefit. However, "Get Rid of Wrinkles without Botox" is better because it eliminates a general concern. "Get Rid of Wrinkles while You Sleep - without Botox!" is best because it sounds easy and consumers love simplicity. Effective headlines can applied to most forms of advertising including TV, radio and print.
Cross Promotions
Teaming up with other companies is an ideal way to expand your audience. Find businesses promoting products or services that complement your company's offerings and initiate cross-promotion deals. A well-planned cross-promotion campaign saves both parties considerable advertising dollars, according to Best Business Practices. When two or more parties come together to sponsor a campaign promoting a group of related products, funds are pooled and expenses are shared. For instance, imagine you're selling baby furniture and marketing a new line of cribs. An ideal way to reach a larger audience and save on advertising expenses is to team up with a baby supplies company to cross promote. Instead of promoting just the crib, advertise a package that includes baby bottles, bathtub, pacifiers, mobiles, monitors and toys and share the expense with the supplier.
Humorous content
Humorous and outrageous content are fantastic ways to gain a consumer audience and brand your name, even to those who aren't particularly shopping for your product. Hilarious TV and radio commercials capture public interest and leave a sometimes permanent impression of a corporate brand in the minds of consumers. Humorous or unusual imagery is also an effective way to gain consumer attention. Nestle's once painted public benches to resemble half-unwrapped Kit-Kat bars. Aquafresh ran a campaign for a toothbrush so flexible that the imagery portrayed a man with toothbrush passing through his mouth and out of his ear.
Internet Marketing
With the advent of modern technology, Internet marketing is an absolute must for companies who need a cost-effective way to reach broader advertising markets. The Best Business Practices website reports that at least 70 percent of consumers research products and services online before shopping. A well-constructed website rich with relevant content puts business before a significantly larger consumer audience. Incorporating SEO -- search engine optimization techniques into your site design further broadens your reach. Internet advertising strategies, such as social networking, email and article marketing, substantially improve branding and online presence.
Premiums
In advertising, the term "premiums" describes everyday household items displaying company names, logos and information that are given away for free. A small investment in company T-shirts, hats, pens, coffee mugs, mouse pads, cigarette lighters or matchbooks are an effective way to get your name "out there." Such items achieve longevity in the hands of consumers and leave an almost subconscious impression. If you drink from a coffee mug daily that displays, a plumbers name and address, then chances are that when you need a plumber you can get access to his services.
To sumup I would like lay stress on hostile and vigorous advertising campaign to push one’s product into the market and get a strong foothold in the industry.